Lemons, Oranges and Mozzarella in Campania

May 31, 2013

When we arrived in Sorrento we were welcomed with the smell of lemon and oranges, which are at home in Campania (and apparently much loved by German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn?” ). And these beautiful and tasty lemons of Sorrento were hanging obviously everywhere, even our cute little wooden bungalow was surrounded by them and we could pick as much as we wanted. They make nice ice cream of them here and the limoncello liqueur is famous in that region (and so is lemon risotto, lemon candies, lemon soap, lemon biscuits, lemon cream, lemon-I-don’t-know-what-else.)
Driving along the stunning Amalfi coast is definitely a must and worth the waiting for a bus (not your car, unless fed up with life on mother earth). The view is breathtaking as well as the llittle towns along the coast, which kind of hanging in the rocks, such as Amalfi and Positano which are lovely places to just wander around. Pompeii, the close by site, is undoubtedly worth a visit too.

preparation of a true Pizza Margaritha

Positano

Pompeii

Our bungalow in Sorrento

Orange trees

Pompeii

Sorrento

lemon

Scamorza and slice of Provolone

preparation of a true Pizza Margaritha

Amalfi

Sorrento

Salvador Dali’s floating watch in Sorrento

Sorrento

a lemon shop in Sorrento

car of my dreams… maybe in orange though

preparation of a true Pizza Margaritha

Amalfi coast

Since the world famous Mozzarella is made in Campania, we had not only to taste but also to see how and where this fresh cheese is made :). First time that I’ve seen how a cooked and stretched-curd cheese (so-called pasta filata type) is made. So first we got a nice tour in the cheese rooms of Caseificio Michelangelo, then a tasting of 9 local made cheeses, accompanied with local wine, butter and Ricotta (both products made of whey, a surplus of the cheese making process), tasty lemon olive oil, and to digest these awesome treats we spent the rest of the day at the pool under lemon trees. Mel again in heaven…

Also nice Scamorza (smoked Mozarella, if possible always go for the buffalo version), Caciocavallo (means “Cheese on horseback”, always 2 forms are straddled together with rope, left to mature by hanging upon a stick) and Provolone (both in recognizable teardrop shape).

mozarella in brine in all sorts of shapes

fresh whey butter

freshly made Ricotta

Provolone

little Caciocavallo

Before heading off to Rome, our last stop in Europe, we decided to visit Napoli….. just because we wanted to have the one and only true pizza magharita, the place where it has its origins. Well, that was actually Jacs show (at Sorbillo on Tribunari road), since there is no original gluten free pizza, not in Napoli or anywhere else in the world. To have MY pizza I had to wait patiently for Rome. However, Napoli … not bad, against all stereotypes of being loud, dangerous, noisy and dirty I liked the town (supported by incredible good gelato at Gay-Ordin gelateria).